Voted Best Image

Login

Hasegawa 1/48 P-47 Thunderbolt

By Bob12345. 18/Jun/2010

This is my second attempt after a break from modeling of some 20+ years. I forgot how relaxing it is! I did a little research on the internet before jumping at this model and was pleasantly surprised at the ease in which it went together. There were a number of reviews that suggested the leading edge of the wing to the fuselage fit was not so great and would require a lot of filling and sanding and that was correct and this was also my first exposure to filler so all in all a good learning experience. I had ordered an Eduard Cockpit Zoom set but this I could not wait for (impatient) and has taken residence in a drawer for a "Bubbletop" that I endeavor to complete in the future". The kit cockpit contained a reasonable level of detail which I painted Tamiya Olive Green and then picked out detail with a bit of red and yellow. I also dry brushed the instrument panel with a little silver after giving a coat of matt black. I completed the paint on the outside with Gunze Olive Drab for the top and although the kit recommended neutral grey for the underside, I didn't like the stark look of the color and instead elected to use Tamiya "Sky" thinned with a little white. This is a kind of duck egg green that I think works well. Once the painting was complete I gave the whole model a coat of Future (Klear here in New Zealand ) applied the decals and then used acrylic artists black and raw umber thinned with water until very watery. I applied this with an airbrush set to about 5 PSI and found that I could control the fine mist very accurately. The final step was to mask the canopy and give the entire model a coat of Gunze Matte all over. This had the effect of lightening the colors very slightly and gave a nice finish to the model.

All in All a very enjoyable process. Currently I have a 1/72 scale A-10 Warthog on the go and a 1/48 scale A-4 Skyhawk that is painted the European I Scheme and will receive a set of decals that I have ordered which will turn this little Scooter into a RNZAF Skyhawk.